Lucas Till
Lucas Daniel Till (born August 10, 1990) is an American actor. In a career spanning over two decades, he has appeared in multiple film and television projects spanning a variety of genres. He is a five-time Teen Choice Award nominee.
Lucas Till | |
|---|---|
Till at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Lucas Daniel Till August 10, 1990 Fort Cavazos, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Till began his career in the early 2000s with roles in independent films, before gaining early attention for his supporting role in the biopic Walk the Line (2005). He had his breakthrough with romantic lead roles in the Disney film Hannah Montana: The Movie and music videos for Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" and Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" (all 2009).
The action comedies The Spy Next Door (2010) and Monster Trucks (2016) brought him wider attention, and he portrayed Havok in Marvel's X-Men prequel films (2011–2016). Till next played the eponymous role in the CBS action crime drama series MacGyver (2016–2021), a reboot of the 1980s series of the same name. He subsequently garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of Bob Zellner in the historical biopic Son of the South (2020), before starring in the action film The Collective (2023).
Early life and education edit
Lucas Daniel Till was born on August 10, 1990, in Fort Cavazos, Texas. He is the son of chemist Dana Lyn (née Brady),[1] and John Mark Till, a colonel in the Army.[2][3][4] He has a younger brother, Nick (b. 1997). Till spent most of his childhood living in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. His family noticed he enjoyed impersonating voices and characters. When he was 11 his mother enrolled him in local acting classes, and it was not long before he was discovered by Joy Pervis, an agent from a Talent agency in Atlanta. Till began booking almost immediately in print, local, regional, and national commercials. He later attended Kell High School .[5] After filming for The Hannah Montana Movie in Nashville, Till went back home to graduate with the Kell High School class of 2008.[6] After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, California, to continue acting.[6]
Career edit
2000s: Early career and Hannah Montana film edit
In 2003, Till made his first film collaboration in the short film The Lovesong of Edwerd J. Robble, in the role of Michael.[7] At the age of 12, he was cast in The Adventures of Ociee Nash in which he played Harry Vanderbilt, the bully of the main character.[8] In 2004, Till played the role of Jay in the horror film Lightning Bug which filmed in Fairview, Alabama,[9] and, later, he participated in the short film Pee Shy,[10] playing Chad. His first major movie role was Jack Cash, the older brother of Johnny Cash, who died in a sawmill accident, in the biographical film Walk the Line (2005).[11] After Walk the Line, Till was featured in a number of television films for Lifetime and independent films.[8] For example, the following year, Till played the young Samuel North in a feature film The Other Side filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.[12] In 2006, he also joined the cast of the Lifetime television film Not Like Everyone Else, portraying Kyle Kenney.[13]
In 2008, Till starred as Jensen in Gregg Bishop's horror-comedy Dance of the Dead which was hand-picked by director Sam Raimi for distribution through Lions Gate Entertainment and Ghost House Pictures.[14] He was also invited to participate in the fifth season of the American television series House in the episode titled "Joy to the World" in the role of Simon, a high school student who has a romantic relationship with his schoolmate, but due to their social differences, they cannot be together.[15] Three weeks before graduating from high school, Till auditioned for Hannah Montana: The Movie (starring Miley Cyrus) and landed the role of Travis Brody, a young cowboy and Miley's friend who ends up becoming her love interest.[16] The role garnered Till two nominations at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, in the Choice Movie Actor: Music/Dance and Choice Movie: Liplock (shared with Cyrus) categories respectively.[citation needed] As part of the awards promotion campaign, Till recorded three short films: Not Another Changeling Movie, a parody of Angelina Jolie's movie Changeling;[17] The Red Menace[18] and The Bourneson Stupidity, a parody of the film The Bourne Identity.[19]
In early 2009, he participated in the horror film Laid to Rest as a commercial employee.[20] He also participated in the episodes "Scotophobia" and "Hydrophobia" of the horror web series Fear Clinic playing the character of Brett, a young man suffering from hydrophobia.[21] He starred in the music video for Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" as her next-door neighbour and love interest.[22] Till and Swift first met in 2008 while filming for Hannah Montana: The Movie. In 2009, he participated in the fifth season of Medium in the role of Adam Mankowitz in the episode titled "Things to do in Phoenix when you're dead",[23] and on Leo Little's Big Show along with Emily Osment in the episode titled "Hannah Montana: The Movie".[24] He was also part of the starring cast in the movie The Lost & Found Family released directly in DVD format and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. His character was Justin, a young boy with some bad attitudes.[25]
2010s: Career fluctuations and breakthrough with MacGyver edit
In early 2010, Till played the role of a Russian agent in the film The Spy Next Door starring Jackie Chan.[26] That same year, he played Matt Parker, a high school quarterback in the first season of Blue Mountain State in the episode titled "The Legend of the Golden Arm".[27] He also returned to collaborate in the co-production in an independent science fiction adventure film directed by Jason Trost and in which he also plays Jack, a young man on vacation in Asia who realizes that his horrible dreams are becoming a reality and that reality is turning into a nightmare. The movie was called "Vacation 8".[28] In 2011, he was part of the cast of the Columbia Pictures-produced action science fiction film Battle: Los Angeles as Corporal Grayston.[29] Till played Alex Summers/Havok, a mutant who has the ability to absorb solar energy which he can then launch as plasma energy from his body in the X-Men spin-off X-Men: First Class, a superhero film produced by 20th Century Fox and Marvel Entertainment directed by Matthew Vaughn.[30] This role allowed him to receive a nomination for the 13th Teen Choice Awards in the Choice Movie: Chemistry category (shared with Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Caleb Landry Jones, and Edi Gathegi).[citation needed]
In 2011, the actor took his first steps into the world of audiovisual production, collaborating with the production of the independent superhero film All Superheroes Must Die (also known as Vs)[31] and in which he also plays the role of Ben / Cutthroat. In the film, four superheroes (one of whom is Till) are kidnapped by their arch enemy and are forced to compete in a series of challenges to save an abandoned city full of kidnapped innocent civilians. Later that year, he collaborated on the music video accompanying the performance of Adele's song "Someone like You" by Tony Oller. In the video, Till plays Tony's friend who gets in the way of their love affair.[32][unreliable source?] In 2011, he also made a commercial for an international brand of sports shoes.[33][unreliable source?]
In 2012, Till returned to work in dramas by participating in the movie Dark Hearts in the role of Sam, a young man who travels to the city to spend time with his older brother and thus escape problems at home.[34] He next worked with Nicole Kidman on the 2013 film Stoker, in which he played a bragging young man named Chris Pitts.[35] He was also part of the starring cast in the direct-to-DVD film Crush as Scott Norris, a star member of the high school soccer team who despite having a knee injury caused by a blow in a game runs every morning.[36] That same year, he returned to collaborate with Jason Trost in the production of the independent comedy Wet and Reckless and in which he played Toby 'Dollars'.[37] He also participated with Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford in the film Paranoia as Kevin, friend and co-worker of Adam (Liam Hemsworth).[38]
In 2014, he returned to movies in the horror genre by participating in the film Wolves as Cayden Richards, a high school student who is becoming a werewolf and who after the murder of his parents tries to discover the truth of who he really is.[39] and in the thriller and drama movie Sins of our Youth as Tyler, alongside Joel Courtney, Mitchel Musso and Bridger Zardina.[40] He was also a co-producer on the horror and suspense film My Eleventh.[41] He also participated in the television series Comedy Bang! Bang! in the first episode of the third season titled "Patton Oswalt Wears a Black Blazer & Dress Shoes"[42] and reprised his role as Havok in X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to 2011's First Class.[43]
In 2015, Till participated in the dramatic film Bravetown, originally titled Strings,[44] playing the role of Josh Harvest a DJ in his early and formative stage, and in the suspense movie The Curse of Downers Grove in the role of Bobby.[45] Both movies released directly in DVD format.
In 2016, Till played Ben Philips Jr. in the horror film The Disappointments Room[46] and returned as Havok in X-Men: Apocalypse, the third installment in the X-Men prequel films series.[47] That same year, he began starring as Angus "Mac" MacGyver in the television reboot of MacGyver, which airs on CBS. Mac is a secret agent of a United States government organization that uses his extraordinary talent to solve problems and his extensive knowledge of science to save lives.[48] Paramount Animation together with Nickelodeon Movies produced the comedy and adventure film titled Monster Trucks, directed by Blue Sky Studios founder Chris Wedge in which Till starred as Tripp.[49][50]
During 2016 and 2017, he started working on a project as a co-producer, the science fiction and suspense film Spectrum playing the role of a young scientist named Connor.[51]
He also participated in the one-hour animated television special titled Michael Jackson's Halloween which premiered on CBS in October 2017 lending his voice to the character of Vincent, a young store clerk who wants to be DJ.[52] In the same month, he participated with CBS Cares in a television campaign in support of hurricane relief in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria struck in the area.[6]
CBS renewed MacGyver in which Till played the starring role, continuing his role in the second, third and fourth seasons. This leading role allowed him to receive the nomination in 2018 in the 20th edition of the Teen Choice Awards in the category of Choice TV Actor: Action, a nomination that he also received in 2019 in the 21st broadcast of the Teen Choice Awards in the same category.[53] In addition to the leading role, Till collaborated in the production of the 13 episodes that make up the fourth season of the series.[54]
In 2019, he collaborated again with CBS Cares in a television campaign in support of the fight against lupus.[55]
2020s: MacGyver finale and critical success in film edit
He renewed his contract in 2020 to continue his leading role in the fifth season of MacGyver.[56] Till has said in interviews that he was the subject of verbal abuse and body shaming from the showrunner of MacGyver, Peter Lenkov.[57] Till reported being suicidal in the first year of the filming of MacGyver due to Lenkov's abuse.[57] Lenkov was later fired from CBS on July 7, 2020.[57]
Till played Bob Zellner, the grandson of a member of the Ku Klux Klan, who joins the civil rights movement in the United States in the film Son of the South. His role in the film, based on Zellner's autobiography The Wrong Side of Murder Creek, received critical acclaim.[58] While the film received mixed reviews from critics, Till's performance was widely praised.
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Lovesong of Edwerd J. Robble | Michael | Short film |
| The Adventures of Ociee Nash | Harry Vanderbilt | ||
| 2004 | Pee Shy | Chad | Short film |
| Lightning Bug | Jay Graves | ||
| 2005 | Walk the Line | Young Jack Cash | |
| 2006 | The Other Side | Young Samuel North | |
| 2008 | Dance of the Dead | Jensen | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2009 | Laid to Rest | Young Store Clerk | Direct-to-video |
| Hannah Montana: The Movie | Travis Brody | ||
| The Lost & Found Family | Justin | Direct-to-video | |
| 2010 | The Spy Next Door | Larry | |
| 2011 | Battle: Los Angeles | Cpl. Scott Grayston | |
| X-Men: First Class | Alex Summers / Havok | ||
| All Superheroes Must Die | Cutthroat / Ben | Direct-to-video; also producer | |
| 2012 | Dark Hearts | Sam | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2013 | Stoker | Chris Pitts | |
| Crush | Scott Norris | Direct-to-video | |
| Wet and Reckless | Toby 'Dollars' | Direct-to-video; also producer | |
| Paranoia | Kevin | ||
| 2014 | Wolves | Cayden Richards | Direct-to-video |
| Kristy | Aaron | Direct-to-video | |
| Sins of our Youth | Tyler | ||
| X-Men: Days of Future Past | Alex Summers / Havok | ||
| 2015 | Bravetown | Josh Harvest | Direct-to-video |
| The Curse of Downers Grove | Bobby | Direct-to-video | |
| 2016 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Alex Summers / Havok | |
| The Disappointments Room | Ben Philips Jr. | ||
| 2017 | Monster Trucks | Tripp Coley | |
| 2020 | Son of the South | Bob Zellner | |
| 2023 | Spectrum | Connor | |
| The Collective | Sam Alexander |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Not Like Everyone Else | Kyle Kenney | Television film |
| 2008 | House | Simon | Episode: "Joy to the World Season 5" |
| 2009 | Medium | Adam Mankowitz | Episode: "Things to Do in Phoenix When You're Dead" |
| Fear Clinic | Brett | Episode: "Scotophobia" and "Hydrophobia" | |
| 2010 | Blue Mountain State | Golden Arm / Matt Parker | Episode: "The Legend of the Golden Arm" |
| 2014 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Thief | Episode: "Patton Oswalt Wears a Black Blazer & Dress Shoes" |
| 2016–2021 | MacGyver | MacGyver | Lead role |
| 2017 | Michael Jackson's Halloween | Vincent (voice) | Television special |
| TBA | The Abandons | Garret Van Ness | Main role |
Music videos edit
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "You Belong With Me" | Taylor Swift |
| "The Climb" | Miley Cyrus |
Producer edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | All Superheroes Must Die | Co-producer |
| 2013 | Wet and Reckless | |
| 2014 | My Eleventh | |
| 2017 | Spectrum | |
| 2020 | MacGyver |
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 11th Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Music/Dance | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Nominated |
| Choice Movie: Liplock (shared with Miley Cyrus) | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | 13th Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Chemistry (shared with Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Caleb Landry Jones, and Edi Gathegi) | Nominated | |
| 2018 | 20th Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor: Action | Nominated | |
| 2019 | 21st Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor: Action | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ Hank, Melissa (September 26, 2017). . Canada.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017.
- ^ "DA MAN magazine - consummate style for today's bon vivant – Lucas Till Exclusive in DA MAN". Daman.co.id. May 16, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ (PDF). Darkheartsthemovie.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 13, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ "Dana Brady Till (@dbtill) on Twitter". Mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ "Lucas Till". daman.co. Retrieved May 31, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c . Fox 5 Atlanta. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ "The Lovesong of Edwerd J. Robble". rarefilmfinder.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Bonner, Julie (January 23, 2009). . Disney Society fan site. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
- ^ "Lightning Bug". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Pee Shy". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Lucas Till". lahiguera.net (in Spanish). Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "The Other Side". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Not Like Everyone Else". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ . Dread Central. October 12, 2011. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011.
- ^ "Lucas Till Simon". imdb.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Hannah Montana: la Película". filmaffinity (in Spanish). Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Lucas Till Wants To Thank You On Stage". shineon-media. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Lucas Till Is the 'Red Menace'". shineon-media. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "The Bourne Stupidity: Crazy Moscow Drivers". The Economist. August 27, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
- ^ "Laid to rest". filmaffinity (in Spanish). Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Fear Clinic". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Vena, Jocelyn. "Taylor Swift Hooks Up With Lucas Till In 'You Belong With Me' Video". MTV News. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ "Medium". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Leo Little's Big Show". imdb. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ "The Lost and Found Family". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Lucas Till 'wants Selena Gomez as co-star'". Digital Spy. January 14, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "Blue Mountain State". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Vacation 8". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Battle Los Angeles". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Sperling, Nicole (July 8, 2010). "'X-Men: First Class': Matthew Vaughn fills his cast with up-and-comers". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ . Movieweb.com. December 18, 2012. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ "Someone Like You". imdb. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "NIKE: ANTI-GRAVITY SHOES". vimeo.com. August 12, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Dark Hearts: A Film by Rudolf Bwitendach" (PDF). Darkheartsthemovie.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ Fernández, Joaquín R. (August 4, 2011). [Lucas Till and Alden Ehrenreich join Stoker's solid cast]. labutaca.net (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Crush". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Wet and Reckless". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Lucas Till, amigo y compañero de trabajo de Liam Hemsworth en Paranoia". labutaca.net (in Spanish). Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Wolves". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Sins of our Youth". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "My Eleventh". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Comedy Bang! Bang!". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Twitter / BryanSinger: "Mankind must put an end to". Twitter.com. July 15, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ "Josh Duhamel se ganará la confianza de Lucas Till en Strings". imdb.com (in Spanish). Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "The Curse of Downers Grove". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "The Disappointments Room: Kate Beckinsale se muda a una casa encantada en el primer tráiler". sensacine.com (in Spanish). August 25, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Welcome back #lucastill #xmen #XmenApocalypse #jamesmcavoy #michaelfassbender #jenniferlawrence #nicholashoult #rosebyrne How time flies! #XmenFirstClass". Instagram. April 17, 2015. Non-loginwalled link at bibliogram.pussthecat.org
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 21, 2016). "'X-Men's Lucas Till To Play MacGyver In CBS Reboot Pilot". Deadline.
- ^ "Paramount Wants Lucas Till & Jane Levy in 'Monster Trucks' Toy Movie". firstshowing.net. February 19, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^ "Lucas Till and Jane Levy to star in Monster Trucks". contactmusic. February 19, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^ "Lucas Till Boards Spectrum Movie". comingsoon.net. May 12, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "About Michael Jackson's Halloween". cbs.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ Moreau, Jordan (June 19, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Riverdale,' 'Aladdin' Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ^ "MacGyver". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "CBS Cares". cbs.com. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "'MacGyver' season 4 ending this week but CBS renews series". micky.com. May 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ryan, Maureen (July 20, 2020). ""This was abuse": The fall of a CBS showrunner". vanityfair.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "Clear Horizon Launches U.S. Distribution Arm With 'Son Of The South' From 'BlacKkKlansman' Editor Barry Alexander Brown". deadline.com. August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.